Tasigna will be our new best friend!!!!

Today was a good day.  Well, good as a cancer day goes, but we will take it!
We had another appointment with the Oncologist today.  All of Josh's bone biopsy results were due back from OHSU.  We were looking for the final confirmation that we are truly dealing with CML and that Josh carried the Philadelphia Chromosome.  
Our appointment was set to start at 9:30am.  We were on time.  The doctor was not.  Waiting all this week was very hard but somehow those few extra minutes that we weren't expecting were excruciating.

Dr. Steinberg finally came in and got right to business.  Here are our long awaited answers:

YES - Josh has the PHILADELPHIA CHROMOSOME
YES - Josh has CML
YES - It is in the EARLY CHRONIC stage
YES - This is VERY TREATABLE and CURABLE if we get a Stem Cell Transplant (not necessary       yet)
YES - We can get started right away!
YES - Josh should begin to recover within WEEKS!!!!!

We are so blessed.  We are so humbled.  We will forever be grateful for this kind of cancer.  This is a treatable cancer.  This is has been one great miracle.

Josh will start taking a drug called TASIGNA in the next week.  We've been told that if everything goes as it should we should see good changes in Josh's blood test only one week out!   This drug is a little more aggressive than what we originally thought Josh was going to be taking (Gleevec).  Dr. Stienberg and Dr. Druker's nurse feel that Tasigna is better for Josh as his counts are pretty high and symptoms pretty severe now.  The Tasigna should work much faster than the Gleevec would.

We left the office with a few more test to get (more blood labs and an EKG) so that we have a baseline to watch side affects against when he starts medication.

Josh spent the afternoon resting and working with insurance to pre-authourize the new drug.  He rested after that.  We both did.  It's been a long, long week and an afternoon nap was much needed.

Here is a picture of our family celebrating with Pizza.  We were so glad that Josh felt well enough to come out with us.  The kids loved the little bit of normalcy of having our family out together.  My sister is still here and it's made this experience far more bearable.  I'll always remember this time in our life.  A time of sorrow, fear, and pain but also hope, faith, love and miracles.
We count our many blessings.  Life is good.

Pizza never tasted so good!